The Horse Race: The Congressional Black Caucus Is Helping Biden Bail Out a Sinking Ship — but Will It Be Enough?

The state of the campaign.

WITH BRITTANY BERNSTEIN & AUDREY FAHLBERG Wednesday, July 10, 2024 The Congressional Black Caucus Is Helping Biden Bail Out a Sinking Ship — but Will It Be Enough? Fighting an uphill battle after last month's debate debacle, President Joe Biden has been largely successful in keeping defections on Capitol Hill to a minimum, thanks in part to the robust defense he's getting from high-profile allies in the influential Congressional Black Caucus.    At the midway point of the first in-session week since last week's Fourth of July recess, Biden has benefited from unwavering support in recent days from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.), CBC chairman Steven Horsford (D., Nev.), former CBC chair Joyce Beatty (D., Ohio), former House whip Jim Clyburn (D., S.C), and many other caucus members who continue to stand behind him as others demand he step aside.   "I support President Biden's decision," CBC member and Representative Jonathan Jackson (D., N.C.) said in an interview with NR Tuesday afternoon. "Fourteen million people voted in the primaries and he won the nomination, and I trust his opinion on the reasons for his lapse in the debate."   "It's not new that he stutters, stumbles, or mumbles sometimes," Representative Robin Kelly (D., Ill.), a fellow CBC member, told NR outside the U.S. Capitol Monday evening, adding that she's "ridin' with Biden until he doesn't want to ride anymore."   CBC support has helped quiet public criticism of Biden on Capitol Hill in recent days, as allies remind skeptics that the president has made clear he is not stepping aside, and that criticizing him now will only hurt their chances in the long run. Despite these public pledges of support for Biden, doubts surrounding his candidacy linger behind closed doors, even within the CBC.   "We're gonna continue to have candid, comprehensive and clear-eyed conversations with members of the House Democratic Caucus," Jeffries told reporters on his way out of a CBC luncheon Wednesday afternoon. "That's been the approach that we've taken from the very beginning of this Congress. It's worked, and it will continue . . . READ MORE  > Join NRPLUS and get the full text of The Horse Race delivered straight to your inbox. ADVERTISEMENT 19 West 44th Street, Ste. 1701, New York, NY, 10036 Your Preferences | Unsubscribe | Privacy View this e-mail in your browser.